General Aviation Accident Bulletin

Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents.

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AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the accident, although some take longer. Find out more about Aviation Safety at www.aviationsafetymagazine.com.


July 15, 2021, Dinsmore, Calif.

Mooney M20J 201

At 1154 Pacific time, the airplane was destroyed when it struck a tree during initial climb. The pilot, the pilot-rated passenger and two other passengers were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

A witness observed the accident airplane circling before it landed on 2510-foot-long Runway 27, into winds from the west. The airplane made a complete stop mid-runway and three individuals disembarked. When all had reboarded the airplane, the pilot taxied to the arrival end of Runway 9 and began a takeoff, rotating just short of the displaced threshold and “barely” clearing the fence. The airplane’s right wing impacted a tall redwood tree; the wreckage was located about 1600 feet beyond the departure end of Runway 9.


July 16, 2021, Angwin, Calif.

Beechcraft V35 Bonanza

The airplane was destroyed at 0840 Pacific time when it struck a tree during an attempted go-around. The two pilots and one passenger were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The flight’s radar track showed a wide left base turn to final, overshooting the final approach, before realigning with the runway. Witnesses observed the accident airplane touch down, and then bounce several times before the pilot initiated a go-around. The airplane cleared the first tree line at the departure end of the runway, then began to pitch up, the left wing dipped down, and then the nose dropped. The airplane hit a tree about ½-mile beyond the runway’s departure end and came to rest about 500 feet from the tree.


July 23, 2021, Oshkosh, Wis.

RV-7 Experimental/RV-8 Experimental

At about 1345 Central time, the experimental amateur-built (EA-B) RV-7 airplane sustained minor damage and the EA-B RV-8 airplane was substantially damaged when they collided on the runway shortly after landing. Neither pilot of the two airplanes was injured.

The pilots were landing in a four-airplane formation on Runway 27’s green dot during the AirVenture fly-in. Shortly after the RV-8 touched down, ATC requested the flight of four to turn right onto the grass. He started the turn when suddenly the RV-7 struck his airplane.

The RV-7’s pilot reported his airplane touched down and bounced. It settled back onto the runway and started to slow. As the tailwheel touched down, the RV-8 temporarily went out of view. When the RV-8 came back into view, it was turning in front of his airplane. He immediately applied brakes and right rudder, but his left wing impacted the RV-8’s rudder, aileron and right wing, which resulted in substantial damage.


July 26, 2021, Truckee, Calif.

Bombardier Challenger 605

The airplane was destroyed at about 1318 Pacific time while maneuvering to land after an instrument approach. The pilot, co-pilot and four passengers aboard were fatally injured. Marginal visual conditions were reported; the flight operated on an IFR flight plan.

Nearing the destination, ATC advised the crew to expect the RNAV (GPS) Runway 20 approach. The crew accepted the approach, but requested to circle to Runway 11 and was told to expect it. The flight was then cleared to hold at the initial approach fix for the Runway 20 approach. After a turn in the hold, ATC cleared the flight for the Runway 20 approach, cancelled radar services and handed it off to the tower. Once the crew announced they were making a right turn and reported Runway 11 in sight, ATC cleared them to land on Runway 11 and informed them that the airplane was not in sight. The crew acknowledged the clearance, which was their final radio communication. A witness observed the airplane come from the northwest about 20 feet above the trees. The airplane then entered a steep left turn and banked erratically just before it impacted trees and then the ground.


July 27, Patterson, LA

Cessna 182T Skylane

At about 0830 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged in an off-airport landing following loss of engine power. The solo pilot sustained a minor injury. Visual conditions prevailed.

While in cruise flight, the airplane’s engine surged and went to full power. The pilot attempted to regain control of the engine by adjusting the throttle but was unsuccessful. The engine then went to idle and he was unable to restore engine power. The pilot performed a forced landing, during which the airplane nosed over in a watery marsh. The pilot was able to safely egress. When the engine cowling was removed, the nut used to secure the throttle onto the throttle body was found loose. The associated cotter pin was not located in the engine compartment.


July 27, 2021, Mount Pleasant, S.C.

Socata TBM-700 C2

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1105 Eastern time when it ran off the end of the runway during an attempted landing. The private pilot and four passengers were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

According to the pilot, his approach was “uncomfortably fast.” The airplane crossed over the threshold of the 3700-foot-long runway at 125 to 130 knots and touched down on its first third to the middle third. He applied brakes, but the runway was wet and slick. Unable to stop on the remaining runway, the pilot attempted to move the throttle from beta to full to abort the landing, but the throttle “stuck.” The airplane subsequently came to rest about 325 feet past the end of the runway.

According to the FAA inspector who responded to the accident site and conducted an initial examination of the airplane, the engine mounts and left wing sustained substantial damage. The flaps were found in the “TAKEOFF” position. All engine and flight controls were intact from the cockpit controls to their respective control surfaces, and they functioned normally. In addition, examination of the brakes revealed no anomalies.


This article originally appeared in the October 2021 issue of Aviation Safety magazine.

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